RE-EXAMINE DRUG POLICY

Storm Lake Public Safety Director Mark Prosser is either sadly misinformed
or he is intentionally misleading the public about the effects of
decriminalization of marijuana in Europe. Contrary to his claims,
government-funded studies show that European countries that have
decriminalized marijuana have consistently lower rates of both marijuana use
and hard drug use than the U.S..

In the Netherlands, for example, sale and possession of small amounts of
marijuana have been officially tolerated since the 1970s. According to the
most recent figures, 20 percent of Dutch tenth graders have tried marijuana,
compared to 37.8% in the U.S.. And separating marijuana from the hard drug
trade has cut heroin use dramatically: In the Netherlands, 0.3 percent of
the population has ever used heroin. In the U.S. it's 1.4 percent.

As a society, we urgently need an honest, searching examination of our
anti-drug policies. But it's hard to have an honest discussion when one side
refuses to face the facts and consistently puts out disinformation.

Bruce Mirken, Marijuana Policy Project, Washington D.C.